Slipping
by Larkawolfgirl
Summary: Sometimes she felt herself begin to mention something only to have the thought disappear as quickly as it had come. Her mouth would clamp in contemplation. It felt as she was forgetting something, something important. Kairi during her memory lapse. Hinted Sokai


Slipping

**AN:** I had this idea a little before New Year's but I was busy writing other things. While learning for new ideas for Inner Medley I realized that the song Still Here by Digital Daggers embodied what I already wanted to write. So, in a way this oneshot is stand-alone but also a part of Inner Medley since I wrote it to the inspiration of the song.

This is canon compliant except that I made everyone forget about Riku as well, because it makes more sense to me. If everyone remembered about him, then why didn't they freak out about him disappearing? I assume that when they returned home everyone's memories adjusted for their absence. Anyway, I just thought this way of dealing with the memories worked more easily for this.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.

The next thing Kairi knew after the fog dispersed and the clumps of earth drifted into far off places, taking the boy with them, she was alone staring at the vast ocean. The ocean mirrored her internal dilemma of her current separation. She'd just found Sora only to have him taken from her again. Yet, the ocean served as a reminder that nothing could really separate them. They would always be staring at the same ocean, the same sky. Of course this seemed insane considering that he was running around any number of worlds, but her heart told her that it didn't matter. Their hearts were connected.

She drifted as if through a dream home. (Could it still be this without Sora?). Surprisingly, her parents didn't act any differently. Hadn't she been missing for months? It felt surreal to have them asking about school, about homework, about weekend plans.

As she tried to fall asleep that night all she could see was Sora's face, the smiling face that she wanted to see again so badly, but each time she opened her eyes she was alone.

Even weirder than her parents behavior was learning that she was behind in class without reason to be. Apparently she hadn't missed any classes that anyone could remember. Why couldn't she remember learning about derivatives, they asked. She simply shrugged which granted her a concerned look.

Heading home with Selphie, she inquired about Sora, wondering why no seemed worried about his absence.

"Who?" she asked confused.

"Sora. You know our childhood friend. He used to always hang out with-" Kairi stopped walking as a chill ran up her spine. What was his name? As she tried to remember all that came to her was a silver outline.

"Kairi, are you okay?" Selphie tilted her head. "I have no idea who you are talking about. Is this some imaginary friend you had?" She began laughing. Instead of relaxing the atmosphere it only tensed Kairi further. What was happening?

As time went on she learned to stop asking about coursework and caught up by herself. When she didn't know the answer in class she would play it off as a simple mistake with a laugh, "Oh, oops," and soon the odd looks stopped.

It didn't take long to catch up, and soon life was back to normal. She would go shopping with Selphie, play hacky sack with Tidus, and compete in tree climbing with Waka. But as normal as it was she sensed that something was off.

Sometimes she felt herself begin to mention something only to have the thought disappear as quickly as it had come. Her mouth would clamp in contemplation. It felt as she was forgetting something, something important.

Each night she saw Sora. They were kids joking in the clubhouse, playing in the sea, sword fighting. The other boy was always nothing but a silver shadow, but Sora was clear as day. She would find herself in awe. "Oh, yeah. Sora. How could I forget?" She'd call out to him, and as he turned his smiling face to her, she'd reach out to him. Helpless, she'd watch as his form dematerialized, as if he were made out of grains of sand.

She would wake with tears welling in the corners of her eyes, but the dream would be gone.

"Remember that time we fell off the play island bridge? You started crying, and then he saw us. He laughed at us, calling us babies, but then he did help us up."

"Who are you talking about Kairi? No one else was there."

"Are you sure?" Kairi was sure that that memory was real, but as she tried to remember it the edges grew fuzzy again. "Yeah, uh, maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me."

While she said that to offset Selphie she knew that he had to be real. The harder she thought about him the more she was certain, so she decided that she would write a letter. Sure, sending a letter in a bottle may be cliché, but it was the best plan she could think of, and anyway, did it really matter if he _actually _got it? Weren't her thoughts what mattered most?

With this in mind she just wrote, the words gushing from her as if a geyser had turned on inside her.

_"Thinking of you, wherever you are._

_We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend._

_Now I will step forward to realize this wish._

_And who knows:_

_starting a new journey may not be so hard,_

_or maybe it has already begun._

_There are many worlds, but they share the same sky —_

_one sky, one destiny."_

_-Kairi_

She may not have kown where the words had come from, but they just felt right. They felt right and filled her heart with a warm glow.

The next day after school Selphie called out to her, "Kairi wait up!" She stopped, turning to grin at her friend. Walking together she asked, "Hey, do you feel like goin' out to the island? Tidus and Waka are all wrapped up in their ball game, and they won't go with me."

Kairi's face dropped. "Not today, sorry."

Selphie stopped walking creating a gap between them. "Aw, why not?" she whined catching up the few paces.

"Do you remember those boys who used to hang out with us?"

"What boys?"

"The ones that were with me all the time. We played together on that island. The one I especially liked, his voice always used to be there. Now it's gone. I can't think of his face, or his name. I feel awful about it. So, I told myself, I'm not going to the island until I remember everything about him."

"You sure you didn't make him up?"

Kairi nodded vowing to no longer doubt herself.

"Namine?" an outside voice coursed through her head along with a tingling pain. "Namine, what's happening to me?" Kairi had shut her eyes, yet she could see a blond boy falling.

"Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi."

"Kairi. I know you." The boy's voice hitched in excitement. "You're that girl he likes."

"Who?" She was hopeful, but static followed her statement. "Please a name," she all but pleaded.

"I'm Roxas."

"Okay. Roxas. But can you tell me his name?"

More static. Had he said it? Had she missed it?

Then another voice replaced the blond's. "You don't remember my name? Thanks a lot, Kairi."

"Ah!" She knew that voice! She still couldn't remember his name, but it was _him_, the boy.

"Okay, I guess I can give you a hint." Was he messing with her? This was serious. "Starts with an S."

The falling boy faded into shadow, and Kairi found herself lying on the ground. Selphie leaned down to brush some dirt off of her. "Are you okay?"

Kairi nodded before a grin broke out on her face. She was more than okay. Leaving Selphie confused she took off toward the ocean.

Selphie found her staring at the sea. "Kairi?"

Kairi set her bag down grabbing the bottle she had nearly forgotten about and let it go on its journey feeling her heart jump as she did.

"What's that?" Selphie had leaned down too.

"A letter. I wrote it yesterday to the boy I can't remember. I said that no matter where he is I'll find him. One day. And when I stopped writing I remembered we made a promise. Something important. This letter is where it starts, I know it."

"Wow! I hope he gets it."

"He will." Selphie nodded in simple agreement.

"It starts with an S." She smiled. "Right, Sora?"


End file.
